


just wait a little while (you're alright)

by subtlyhaught



Category: Descendants (Disney Movies)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-10
Updated: 2018-11-10
Packaged: 2019-08-21 10:01:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,353
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16574351
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/subtlyhaught/pseuds/subtlyhaught
Summary: Love wasn't supposed to be slow. It wasn't supposed to be, period.And yet.





	just wait a little while (you're alright)

**Author's Note:**

> jaylos if you squint
> 
> also this might be a two-shot so there's that

She fell in love slowly.

That's how she was always told it was  
going to happen - slowly, then all at once - but she never thought there could be some truth in the statement. People didn't just fall in love, and it most definitely wasn't slow. From what she knew of love from her mother, she'd even go as far as to say that it was mere fiction. Nothing more than a ruse. A joke. Nonexistent, and certainly not real.

Of course, she'd heard the stories of true love. Of princes, rousing princesses from a deep, supposed-to-be-permanent slumber. Of boys on magical carpets, stealing the heart of a girl who'd seen nothing but castle walls. Of enchanting dances in the woods, as animals watched on with wonder. Of course she'd heard them. They were exactly what her mother had taught her love wasn't.

Love was hard work. It was scrubbing floors until dawn. It was cooking before the sun came up. It was sewing together beautiful vests for your husband. It was entrancing a prince with your beauty. It was keeping him happy, no matter the cost of your body, your mind. It was something that had to result in riches, and royalty. In crowns and jewels and servants. Love was effort. It wasn't what the tales made it out to be. It wasn't real.

(Though how she hoped it was.)

So, imagine her surprise when she found herself slipping into it, bit by bit.

Just - not with a prince, as her mother expected her to.

She was sixteen. Young, and naïve, and roaming around the Isles Town Square for the first time after a decade of banishment. Her mother was a few blocks ahead, and she was staring at some (obviously fake) gold twine in a ratty display case, on an old, crooked shelf in a store. But it was upon her exit that it happened.

The girl in front of her was something else. Leather clad, green eyes glinting. Her head of shockingly purple hair drew the attention of any passerby, until they consequently realized who she was and immediately averted their gaze once more. She held power in her stance, her shoulders squared and proud. She knew she controlled the Isle. She knew everyone was _scared_ of her.

The smirk that adorned her features was a force to be reckoned with, as her lips parted and she spoke with the softest, the most cruelly enticing voice;

"You're coming, aren't you, _lovely?"_

And just like that, Evie's heartbeat spiked, and Mal had her under her spell.

-

The journey to find the Dragons Eye scepter seemed long and impossible. Jay lead them with heavy feet, Mal close behind, while Carlos trailed behind Evie. His _magic machine,_ or whatever it was, beeped at regular intervals; something Evie would have found annoying if she wasn't so focused on the task at hand.

That is to say, the task at hand, and Mal.

The daunting height in the trees and the treacherous shadows that creeped along Evies vision were nothing short of a mere distraction, something that faded away into nothingness as Evie tried and tried to focus on walking. Not on how close Mals hand was to hers, or how she could hear her harsh breathes, or how nimble she was in the dark.

It was difficult to say the least, but it was only made harder at Evies trial.

The mirror.

The wretched mirror.

It was really something, watching herself crumble and wail at the sight of the haggard, old woman she became in the reflection. Her skin was wrinkled, her hair no longer blue, her hands were tough and calloused, and her voice was hoarse. She was ugly. Hideous. Her stomach felt bloated, and her limbs were heavy, and _god_ would her mother have a field day. She could never face her like this. She couldn't face anyone, ever. It was over. Her life, her princely themed mission, her future. It was all over. Ruined. Who could she be, other than this _ugly, fat, disgusting_ animal in the mirror.

_No one will ever love you, Evie._

And if Evie hadn't been petrified, she would've run.

And then, suddenly there were two old hags in the mirror. Mal, of course it was Mal, had slid in next to her. She was speaking, scolding the boys for their comments on how neat this was. But her voice sounded far away, like it was underwater. It was only until Evie was addressed directly was her attention pulled away.

"Evie, come on, that's not you. You know that." Mals voice, though just as effected by the mirrors trick as Evies, was calm and confident enough to pull the blue haired girl back to reality. Out of her head. If Mal knew it wasn't her in the mirror, that was good. That was one step back towards normalcy. "Don't let my mother's evil fortress get under your skin."

Evie nodded, and Mal took a other step closer, sliding her gnarled, old hand over Evies shoulder. Evie tried not to wince. "This is what my... What Maleficent does. She finds your weaknesses and picks them off one by one."

It was true. At least, what Evie had heard of Maleficent. After the woman had locked her and her mother in their own castle, being banished from an island of misery, Evie hadn't really gone out of her way to learn about the woman. At least, not past what her mother had told her. Which weren't good things, not at all.

It made sense then, that after all they had been through that day, Evie would find herself in front of the only mirror in the world she couldn't bare to look at. Especially considering the fact that they were _in_ Maleficents fortress.

"You think it was an accident?" Mal continued, noting Evies lack of response. "That we stumbled across the Magic Mirror, when we happened to have the fairest along for the ride?"

Evies eyes widened just slightly at the phrase, subtle enough to not be noticed in the dim lighting. Mal thought she was the fairest. Which, granted, was her goal all along, but still, to hear someone _say_ it was something else. She wanted to ask, to pry, to figure out if it was just a praise compiled out of pity or not. After all, wasn't Mal supposed to hate her?

"You think its on purpose?" She said instead.

Mal nodded. Her hand had never left Evies shoulder, and it squeezed it now. "I think its a test," Mal huffed, sounding both bored and dreadful. "Like everything else in this place."

"You really think I can do it?"

"I know you can, you loser." Mal grinned, teeth gold or missing, but still somewhat endearing. "I mean, _fairest_ loser."

And if that's all Evie could think about as she recited the peddlers disguise, Mals proud smirk and firm grip steadying her anxious heartbeat, well, that was her business.

-

Mal was unconscious.

Her body was limp on the ground, appearing immediately after a bright white light had engulfed them all. Her hands were splayed out at an awkward angle, and her eyelids weren't twitching, and for one, horrible moment, Evie thought she had died.

Jay was at Mals side in an instant, brows furrowed and eyes dark. His hands found the pulse point on her neck, and Evie held her breath.

Mal had taken the sleeping curse for her. Mal, with her haughty attitude and her every man for themselves way of life, had lunged for the scepter. She had practically shoved Evie out of the way in an incredulous act of selflessness, something Evie hadn't been sure Mal possessed. It was both amazing, and downright horrifying, to watch the girl sacrifice herself for Evie. She was someone Evie had been raised to fear, to shy away from, and yet here they were, with Evie just barely managing to not cry out as Mals pale hand wrapped around the sceptor.

She had fallen to the ground with a sickening thump, and Evie couldn't help but think this was somehow her fault. If she hadn't reached for the staff, if she hadn't won over the mirror, if she _hadn't come_ , maybe this wouldn't have happened.

If Mal was dead, it was on her, and she knew it.

Jay raised his head from Mals limp form, glancing from Evie to Carlos with something Evie couldn't decipher, until;

"She's alive."

Evie let out a strangled sort of sobbing sound, something Jay and Carlos took note of but silently vowed to never bring up, and suddenly she too was at Mals side.

"What happened?" She hissed, hands drifting above Mals body as if she wanted to touch it, but couldn't bring herself to.

"Dunno," Jay hummed, sitting back on his ankles and dusting his hands off on his pants. "She grabbed the scepter and boom, asleep."

"She's asleep," Evie repeated, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth. "Okay."

Jay and Carlos exchanged another look that Evie missed. The white haired boy took a few steps towards them, sucking in a breath. "Maybe this was her challenge." He said, quietly. "Taking the scepter for herself, I mean."

Jay was nodding, his body inching away from Mals so he could stand beside Carlos instead, hand sliding over the boys shoulder before gripping it firmly. Carlos swallowed audibly, almost making Evie smile, and opened his mouth to continue.

"Her mother is mistress of evil, right?" He hummed, hands joining together in front of his torso. "Maybe.. Maybe that was the goal. For Mal to follow in her footsteps. Rule the Isle, strike fear in her subjects. Maybe it's... it's why we're all here. She needed us to get past the other traps, to get to the scepter."

Evie was shaking her head before Carlos had even finished. "She's not like that," she muttered, frowning. "She wouldn't.."

"She locked you in my mothers closet, Evie," Carlos interjected, stating the fact without much conviction in his tone. "You don't know her, you haven't been around."

Her head snapped up to look at the boys, mind whirling, eyes burning with - _god,_ was she crying? "Don't," she warned, closing her eyes momentarily and pressing her lips together. She really didn't need a reminder of the banishment Mals mother had inflicted on her, especially not now, with Mal in this state. She didn't need a reason to step away from the smaller girl, to leave her on the cold floor, to still the beating of her heart and make her cold. She didn't need it.

She just needed Mal to wake up.

"I guess now we wait," it was Jay. The boy bent low to the ground, reaching over Mals limp body to gather her arms from their awkward position. He laid them in her lap gently, before he seemed to hesitate for a moment. His eyes found Evies, and he looked as if he was struggling with his words, until he slipped a hand under Mals head and lifted it off the floor. "Evie," he began, ducking his head once more. "Would you.. Her head just, like, the ground is uhm." He sniffed, and Evie immediately felt for him. No one cared for anyone on the Isle. That got you beat, or locked up, or killed. Jay, it seemed, knew that well, thus Evie understood his hesitancy to show his fondness of the purple haired girl.

So, without pressing further, Evie shuffled over to Jay and watched and he laid Mals head in Evies lap with a gentleness she didn't know he possessed.

Evies eyes found Jays after he had sat back on his ankles. They were dark, and stormy, and full of a conflict Evie understood. It was hard. They weren't friends - they weren't supposed to be at least. The concept of _friends_ was foreign on the Isle. You had family, and then you had people you associated with for protection. Or, in Evies case, people you stayed away from for protection.

Things like that got complicated when you end up in a room with those very same people - people who are slowly inching towards that blurry line of friendship, instead of allies, and definitely instead of people you stayed away from unless you wanted to get shanked.

Jay gave Evie a tight lipped smile, before he patted Mals thigh lightly and stood. Her found Carlos, who had retreated to the entrance, seated on the cold cement with his back pressed to the wall. Jay slid in next to him, giving Carlos a similarly tight lipped smile, which Carlos returned with a brilliant beam.

The next ten minutes passed in silence. Evie carded her fingers through Mals hair without much more thought to it, while Carlos had ended up dozing off while leaning on Jays arm. The taller boy had shifted to accommodate him, his arm now twisted so it was half around his torso, instead of pressed between them. It was almost enough to make Evie smile.

And then suddenly, Mals eyes fluttered open.

They seemed hazed and out of focus, not really registering where she was or what was happening. Her hand stretched out slowly, moving from her lap and instead feeling around the ground for a moment, until her eyes suddenly slid back into focus.

"Wow," she murmured, voice slightly raspy. "That was a kick."

Evie laughed - honest to god laughed, waking Carlos in the process - and proceeded to grip the sides of Mals face between her hands. "You," she began, not paying attention to the fast approaching footsteps. "Are the biggest idiot I have ever met."

Mals face erupted into a grin - the first real grin Evie had ever seen from the smaller girl. Her hand reached up, ghosting over Evies knuckles briefly, before falling back down to her stomach. "Good to see you too, Princess. And, also, you're welcome. If it weren't for my quote unquote _idiocy,_ you'd be taking a thousand year nap right now."

Evie just shook her head, laugh tumbling past her lips once more. God, she could-

Oh.

Oh _no._

**Author's Note:**

> on Instagram @eviesgrimhildes


End file.
